Synopsis:
Eighteen-year-old Finley Sinclair has had everything her heart could desire.
Someday she’ll be the heiress to the Sinclair hotel branches and the fortune
that comes along with it, but for now her focus is on getting through school –
and nailing her musical audition after a failed first attempt. Grieving a loved
one, and with emotional stability slow to heal, Finley boards a plane to
Ireland – the place where her brother grew close to God, and finds herself
right smack dab in the middle of a Hollywood star’s location shoot.
Beckett Rush is the latest teen heartthrob – he has found fame and fortune in
vampire scene, and he wants Finley as his personal assistant during her stay.

What held promise to be a
peaceful year of learning… letting go… and growing closer to God is turning out
to be a very hectic time for one already fragile girl.

Review: I haven’t gotten this excited about any one author’s works
since discovering the sparkling wit that is Jenny B. Jones. If any of you have
read Jenny’s novels before – and laughed your head off, or until the tears
rolled down your cheeks – then you’ll “get” just how much I was looking forward
to her latest release. The first, and only novel I'd read from her, wasSave the Date (although I
do have Just Between You and Me waiting in the wings).
Following the delightful RomCom that was Save the Date, I
was keen to read Finley’s story rather than something
with unfamiliar characters.

You may remember Finley as the little sister of Alex
Sinclair – ex-NFL superstar and budding politician – whose story was told in Save
the Date. Finley was something of a rebel in Alex’s story whose life had
become mundane after the loss of one brother and being ignored by the other. In
this young adult novel, Finley is a troubled teenager who has been protected
from the harsher realities of life thanks to her elder sibling and the privileges she’s enjoyed. She is just coming
off of a bad relationship and in need of a quiet, hopeful Christ-centered
season.

At only 18, Finley is confused in the wake of grief. This kind of genuine character portrayal makes her a complex, well written character. Despite
being written in the first person (not my favorite prose), Jenny writes a
compelling story. Even more so given this story is about such a young hero and
heroine. Writing that genre can sometimes lend itself to being “cutesy” or too
immature for readers who are interested in a solid story, but are not in the targeted
age bracket. Finley, for all her faults, is a surprisingly mature leading lady
that could be a role model for any young girl in many facets of her life. Partially because she is a girl with
principals, but mostly it stems from her recognition that she
does have “issues” and needs healing. Her body image struggles, and the
destructive behavior that results from that is a front to cover up her
depression and hurt.

First impressions of Beckett may suggest he is a little bit
of a jerk; he proved me very wrong. He is nothing less than a
gentleman. Some of his morals are a little skewed yet he learns from Finley’s example
and friendship, and it’s through his entrance in her life that Finley becomes a
better person. As an author, Jenny spins a touching, beautiful story that is
not to be missed – by anyone, whether
you’re a teen or adult. Jenny captured this she struggled in a beautiful prism of reality. Finley isn’t all
together, but somehow her head is on right. She takes the initiative to seek God out, to re-connect with
Him, and that details a wonderful character structure. Along the way, there are
comic mishaps and lovely reflections. (If I’d ever get serious about writing
fiction, I’d like to think Jenny’s natural talent in writing laugh-out-loud
banter would be my own inspiration.

)

The relationship that blossoms between these two is written to perfection, and with great
endearment. I adored the way Beckett treated Finley and how she responded to
him. The scenes of them exploring together (especially the
"graveyard" scene nearer the end) and quiet moments are written with
the utmost care. As the reader, we can tell that these character’s emotions and
their story have been genuinely thought out and artfully plotted. Perhaps in
part this is thanks to an Irish setting. That Irish brogue as Finley continues
to meet a host of interesting natives practically
leaps off the page. Everyone from the cantankerous Mrs. Sweeny to her
adorably-lovable host family enters her
life.

Whether you are a teenage reader or not, I’d highly
recommend this novel. It’s heart-warming. It’s humorous. It’s challenging. It’s
adventurous, and above all, it offers
some insightful realistic struggles that we all may have wrestled with, and if
we let it, that can – and should be, an inspiration.

You and I both, Tessa! Jenny knows her stuff and she writes a terrific novel. :) Super anxious to learn if she has a new book to come - it has been far too long!

PS: again, my apologies for not getting your book read! It will happen. Like I said, there was a lapse between when I agreed to read Purple Moon and when I got it; in-between lots of other books happened. Sorry about that. :/ It sounds like a great read though.

Have a thought? Don't be shy, go ahead and leave one... or two... or three! I reply to every comment. If you're new to the blog, please don't hesitate to introduce yourself and your blog - we love chatting around here!

Feedback and every comment is appreciated and read - I always leave a response; your opinions are respected and I ask that you show mine the same courtesy.

(If you post under “anonymous,” please leave a name. If you don't have a Google account, you can type your name into the Name/URL and if you have no site, just leave "URL" blank.)

If you are still reading my ramblings, thank you for following this little blog and for being one of its supporters. I’ve enjoyed getting to know each of you, friends!

Contact Form

Bonjour and Welcome!

Welcome thank you for visiting and reading, if youlike, you are invited to join our conversations and follow along – joinus. You're most welcome. Read more about Finding Wonderland♥

Followers

Social Media

Finding Wonderland in your Inbox!

Subscribe! Have Finding Wonderland's new content sent to your inbox; sign up for our once (or twice) monthly round up of new content. If you'd like to have this newsletter sent to your inbox, you can enter your email address here.

Disclosures

Some of the links on this blog are affiliate links, which means that if you click on a product link, I may receive compensation. This compensation comes at no additional cost to you.
Rissi JC (RissiWrites.com) is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
Disclosure of Material: RissiWrites.com is review site that frequently receives books from publishing houses, publicists or authors. I am not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed here are our own.I am not paid for any of the reviews I publish.

Follow @Rissi006

Privacy

Finding Wonderland and RissiWrites.com (referred to herein as "we" or "our") does not sell or trade your (user, reader) information nor do we share information with other sources. The exception being in the case of a third party giveaway host.
Advertising companies (ads placed on RissiWrites.com) or Amazon Affiliates may collect some information when you visit our website, which we have no control over.
Further information may be collected when you visit RissiWrites.com. Information like IP addresses or location, third-parties such as ads placed on this site may also collect this data.
If you enter a giveaway here through Rafflecopter, the information the user is sharing will be used only to provide you with the user's giveaway prize; if the prize is an Amazon Kindle book, the email WILL be shared on Amazon. If you sign up for a newsletter here, the user's information will only be used to have Finding Wonderland's new posts sent to user's inbox.
This information was updated May 2018.